The Charlotte Mason Method
Discover a gentle, life-giving approach to education that focuses on living books, nature, and the formation of character rather than dry testing.
Like Duolingo, but for The Charlotte Mason Method. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
81 levels across 8 sections, about 162 minutes end to end, roughly 32 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The First Steps: Living Books and Narration; The Atmosphere of Learning; The Discipline of Habit; Nature and the Great Outdoors; The Feast of Subjects; Language and Literacy; The Wider World: History, Math, and Science; and The Teacher's Heart and Practice. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Charlotte Mason Method
- The mind feeds on ideas, not just dry facts or data
- Living books are usually written by one person with a passion for the subject
- A child's mind is a living organism that requires regular 'meals' of thought
- The author's personal enthusiasm is what makes the ideas 'contagious' to the child
- Information is only useful if it contains a 'spark' of an idea that the child can digest
- Committee-written textbooks often strip away the vital interest needed for a living education
- The role of ideas as mental nourishment in the Charlotte Mason method
- Identifying the author's connection to the subject in a living book
- Twaddle uses 'dumbed-down' or overly simplistic language
- The role of ideas as mental nourishment
- Twaddle often talks down to children
- Predictable or silly stories lack substance
- Identifying the author's connection to the subject
- Beautiful language is a hallmark of Mason education
- Recognizing 'twaddle' and its characteristics
- Literary power helps the child form a relationship
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Charlotte Mason Method the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What is a common characteristic of the author of a 'living book'?
Get it right to open this lesson and 80 more in the app.
How to learn The Charlotte Mason Method, step by step
Go in order. 81 short levels across 8 sections, about 2 hours 42 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
The First Steps: Living Books and Narration
- Identifying a Living Book
- The Art of Narration
- 2
The Atmosphere of Learning
- Children as Born Persons
- The Threefold Education
- 3
The Discipline of Habit
- Habit as the Rails of Life
- The Habit of Attention
- Character and the Will
- 4
Nature and the Great Outdoors
- The Daily Nature Walk
- Keeping a Nature Journal
- 5
The Feast of Subjects
- Picture Study
- Musical Appreciation
- Poetry and Shakespeare
- 6
Language and Literacy
- Copywork and Handwriting
- Prepared Dictation
- Learning to Read
- 7
The Wider World: History, Math, and Science
- Living History
- Concrete Mathematics
- Science through Observation
- 8
The Teacher's Heart and Practice
- Masterly Inactivity
- The Teacher's Self-Education
- Scheduling and the 20 Principles
8 sections · 21 units · 81 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The Charlotte Mason Method
How do I learn The Charlotte Mason Method?
Go in order: start with The First Steps: Living Books and Narration, then The Atmosphere of Learning, then The Discipline of Habit, then Nature and the Great Outdoors, and 4 more sections after that. On Tomo that's 81 short levels, about 2 hours 42 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for The Charlotte Mason Method?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Charlotte Mason Method is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The Charlotte Mason Method free?
Yes. The Charlotte Mason Method is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn The Charlotte Mason Method?
81 levels across 8 sections, about 2 hours 42 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start The Charlotte Mason Method?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Charlotte Mason Method is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Charlotte Mason Method today.
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